


The Hand Of Ash Is The Hand That Binds

by GoofyGoldenGirl



Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor (Movies)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Child Abuse, Creation, Dinner, Fighting, Gen, Hacking, Handmaidens, Infiltration, Magic, Niflheimr | Niflheim, Presents, Spaceships, Spoilers, battle training, magical powers, post thor ragnarok
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-06
Updated: 2018-01-31
Packaged: 2019-01-30 08:08:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,213
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12649548
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GoofyGoldenGirl/pseuds/GoofyGoldenGirl
Summary: Hela was the embodiment of death. She would not be defeated by the very weapon she wielded.Please comment if you want to read moreI made a playlist for the serieshere





	1. Chapter 1

The fires were still burning in Asgard’s last hour. As she cowered before the flames that towered over her, Hela, goddess of death and Odin’s hand of destruction could not bear the thought of being conquered by the very weapon she wielded. She was the embodiment of death and she knew that as long as life thrived throughout the nine realms that death would lurk in its shadow and pursue until the time came to strike. Life was a fragile and fleeting thing. It hardly could stand up on its feet as war, disease, famine, and mere consequence battered away at it until death delivered the final blow. Hela did not want her conquest to be all for naught. She was not finished and in her desperation, she raised up her sword hand as high at it could go. 

Her hand shook. Her blistered, bloody skin was melting from the heat of Surtur’s flames. Pinkish flesh liquid and ran down her arm, leaving the bones exposed, and blackened as it burned. She cried out, but concentrated to bring out the dagger from her fingertips. It emerged and Hela fumbled as she went to catch it. Wasting no time, she held out her free hand in front of her and brought the dagger down. Steel broke through flesh. Blood gushed, sizzling as it splattered on the cracked ground that she sat upon. Hela gritted her teeth as the dagger slipped through her hand. She picked up her detached hand and tossed it the eternal flame that raged in front of her. She closed her eyes. Green energy shot from her hand and at the flames. The flames stopped charging. It began to swirl around the hand that glowed green. Hela opened her eyes. With a determined gaze, she brought herself up to her feet. She stood her ground and chanted at the top of her lungs:

“Eternal flame of old, I give you my hand! Feast on my flesh, take the ashes and make it anew! Bring forth a loyal hand that will carry out my will and will obey me and _only_ me!”

The hand in the flames began to vibrate. The flesh stretched out and up. It morphed and curved as the hand morphed into a humanoid shape resting in a fetal position. It grew taller, the details of its face began to grow clearer, long hair sprouted from the top of the figure’s head. Hela reached out. The ground beneath her quaked and she screamed:

“BRING THE HAND FORTH!”

The fires parted and formed a hole. The tips of the flames worked to push her newly reformed hand out. They brought forth a girl. Her arms shot out, her palms ready to brace her falls as her knees touched the rocky ground. The girl took a deep breath and opened her eyes. They were an emerald green, the same color Hela’s eyes has once been eons ago. She sat up straight as Hela’s magic moved to clothe her in a white shift. Her hands reached up and smoothed back her long, coal-black hair that had gotten into her face. She blinked, and gazed about the dying realm with a frightened expression. 

“Arise,” Hela commanded.

The girl did so. At full height, she had the appearance of a twelve year old girl, perhaps a bit tall for her age. The girl rigidly placed her hands by her side and meekly gazed into Hela’s eyes.

“ _Leah,_ crafted and created from my own hand, you are to be my handmaiden and my closest confidant. You are to serve me and carry out my will. If in any way, you shall not meet my expectations, you shall return to the nothingness from which you came. Understood?”

“Yes, Milady,” the girl monotonically replied, her first words.

“Good,” Hela nodded. “Now form a portal. We must leave before Asgard implodes on itself.”

Leah unsteadily took her first step and shakily held her arm up. The palm of her hand pushed out, letting the energy radiate out. Little dots of green circled in the air and merged together to form the portal that lit up with a high pitched sound. Hela, cradling the stump where her hand once was, limped forward to the portal. She glanced back at her handmaiden.

“Come along Leah. We have have much to do,” she said.

Leah followed until she reached Hela’s side. 

“Where are we going?” She asked.

Hela did not look over at Leah. She addressed the space of energy in front of her as she began to head in.

“To a safe place. We need to lay low for a while until I am ready to begin my conquest once more.”

The portal began to vibrate. Leah stumbled. Her hand reached out to grab Hela’s arm so she wouldn’t fall. The goddess of death moved away from her with a raise of her arms as the portal began to push them through the space. Leah glanced back at the inferno behind her one last time. There was a flash of light. A deafening boom as the ground fell apart and crumbled into nothingness. Leah closed her eyes and turned away in the exact moment Asgard was destroyed. The exterior of the portal collapsed and closed, sparing Hela and Leah the horrible fate of being reduced to ash and dust.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a quick rundown for readers who are only familiar with the MCU about who Leah of Hel is:
> 
> In Journey Into Mystery 622-645 (also known as the Kid Loki comics) Leah is Hela's handmaiden, created from her hand which had been chopped off thanks to an attack by the disir (hel zombies). Leah joins Loki in his adventures and becomes his friend. While I will be drawing a lot of inspiration from the comics, it is not necessary to have read Journey Into Mystery to enjoy the fic.


	2. Chapter 2

The realm was desolate and cold. A plain of withered brown grass stretched in front out them. A thick blanket of fog covered the sky, rendering it impossible to see ahead clearly. The wind howled, an eerie and chilling sound that made Leah startle. With a shiver, she moved closer to Hela. 

“Milady, where are we?” Leah reached out to grab Hela’s arm. 

“We are in Niflheim, child. I used to command my armies from here back in the days of Asgard’s glory. We shall be taking refuge in my palace,” Hela answered with a step forward, avoiding Leah’s touch. 

Hela curled up her free hand and blew into the palm of her hand. A smoky yellowish light circled about and took on a spherical shape. Leah, watched with a child-like wonder as Hela’s hand recoiled and the ball of light floated into the air. How could such a small object give off such a bright and beautiful light? Yellow beams of light nestled in the blankets of fog and sparkled, the grass gave off an otherworldly glow. Even the wind, with its harsh gust and frightening sound, appeared to be gentler, chiming in time with the light’s vibrations. For the first time in Leah’s life, her lips began to curl up into a grin, and the air that tumbled about her throat tightened and pushed up with an excited sound that was cut short by a stern glance from Hela. Leah stopped. She shamefully cast her eyes down at the grass that painfully prickled against her bare feet. The wind blew again and Leah shivered.

“Mistress, I am cold,” Leah’s teeth chattered as she spoke.

Hela waved her hand again, this time with her pointer finger out. Strands of green light shot up into the air. They crisscrossed each other and wove tightly to form an emerald green dress that was decorated band of white lace that crossed around the waist and chest. The dress fell to the ground and Leah caught it. 

“Thank you, Milady,” Leah went to pull the dress over her head. The collar was pulled high, and the sleeves extended out to the tips of her fingers to protect her from the cold. As she went to smooth out her skirt, two flat, ivory colored shoes along with a thin, stretchy, trouser- like garment fell to the ground with a thud. Leah quickly slid the garment on underneath her dress and shift and put the shoes on her feet before moving to rejoin Hela. 

The goddess of death did not acknowledge her handmaiden’s gratitude. They continued in silence across the wasteland until the fog parted to reveal that their destination was in sight. Leah had never seen any building, nevertheless a palace. It was a grand building that loomed over them. The exterior was painted black, rectangular in form that curved up at the top to form a dome that had a carving of Hela’s crown in the center that was painted a deep forest green. As Hela and Leah walked through the spiked gates that opened at the goddess’ command, Leah took in her surroundings. The material the building was made of gave off a glossy shine and was sturdy that still gave the impression that it was recently built despite being thousands of years old and subjected to the realm’s harsh weather. Yet with a closer look, the material appeared to be fragile, densely packed together, and displaying tiny cracks that threatened to expand out and let the building fall, held up together by some kind of strong magic that bound the material together. Leah quizzically peered before a look of understanding crossed her face.

“This palace is made of bone,” Leah remarked. 

“When my father and I conquered this realm, we round up all of the inhabitants and executed them right where this palace stood. We desecrated each corpse, each man, woman, and child with our daggers and bare hands and gathered each bone. Each bone we piled up, and with the blood still fresh and dripping from his hands, my father cast the spell to bring the palace into existence. I had my first taste of the spoils of war. It was the first gift he ever gave me, me, the firstborn that was promised. And in my joy I told myself that I would cherish this palace as long as I lived,” Hela explained. 

She wistfully gazed up at the palace before they entered. As soon as the two of them crossed the threshold, Hela lost her balance. With a sharp cry, her free hand shot out to cling to the wall for support. 

“Mistress!” Leah rushed forward with a shout. 

Hela winced and began to sink to the floor. As Leah knelt by her side, a foul, burnt odor assaulted her nostrils. She glanced down at Hela’s wounds and the sight nearly made her gag. Charred, brittle bones poked through the grayish-crimson flesh of Hela’s arms. The stump of a former hand oozed a river of blood and thick, white pus. Boils and blistered covered every inch of skin, and as Hela let out another shrill cry, Leah felt like screaming along with her.

“LEAH!”

“What do I do?” Leah frantically asked.

“HEAL ME! HEAL ME!” Hela shrieked.

Moving fast, Leah put an arm around Hela, noticing how hot her body felt. Using all the strength she could, she supported Hela’s weight against hers and began to drag her down the entrance hall.

__________________________________________ 

Old, dusty medicine books, vials of potions and ointments, and bloodstained strips of cloth were scattered all over the stone-cold floor of Hela’s bedchamber. Steam rose from the tub placed in the center of the room where Hela emerged with Leah’s help. The girl handed her a green robe to clothe herself with and positioned her arm out in case Hela lost her balance and needed support. Hela’s skin still was raw, but the flesh, thanks to the bath had been stitched together without the need for thread and needle. The burns were beginning to fade, and a pallor slowly crept over the crimson color of Hela’s countenance. Hela took Leah’s arm and pointed over at the vanity. Leah navigated Hela through the maze of items, filled with shame once more that she hadn’t the foresight to clear a path for Hela who was still in a precarious state. They had reached the vanity, Leah pulled the chair out so Hela could sit and pushed it in. Hela’s thin arm stretched out to wipe away some of the dust from the mirror. She sat up straight and examined her image staring back at her.

“Milady, how do you feel?” Leah asked.

“Much better child,” Hela replied.

She reached down and pulled out one of the drawers. She rummaged through it and spoke as she did so:

“I suppose I shall reward you for a job well done. Here,” Hela ‘s hand drew back from the drawer. She turned towards Leah and extended her hand out. 

“Every girl likes a pretty hairpiece. These were once mine when I was your age.”

Leah took the two ivory-white bones from Hela’s hand. She held them up to get a closer look, struck by the beauty in their craftsmanship. There was a sparkle in her eyes, her smile stretched from cheek to cheek, and the beginning of that strange and happy sound bubbled in Leah’s throat before she forced herself to drop into a curtsey. 

“Thank you Milady, I shall cherish it always,” Leah humbly said. 

Hela waved a hand to dismiss her. Leah turned and went to exit the chamber. She cradled the bones close to her chest, much like a parent would with a child. As she stepped out into the corridor, she stopped to raise the bones over the top of her head and slid them into her hair.


	3. Chapter 3

Leah dove to the ground. Her hands squeezed around the squawking chicken as it thrashed against her tight hold, sending feathers flying through the air. Leah gritted her teeth, digging her nails into its body as she brought the knife that Hela gave her up into the air. The chicken gave another frantic cry and attempted to slide through her arms. Leah sharply turned and brought the knife down. The chicken shrieked. Blood spurt. Leah’s shaking hand tried to direct the cut around the neck. Her movements came out choppy.

“It has to be a swift cut,” Hela’s voice flatly informed her.

Hela was sitting on the makeshift throne she had conjured up to watch Leah carry out to task. She raised her left arm and gestured at Leah with the black, steel gauntlet she had made to cover the stump where her hand used to be. 

Leah grunted and sent the tip of the blade deeper under the flesh. Hot, thick blood splattered all over Leah’s dirt caked dress. Her hand slid and the knife cut upwards. The chicken’s head dangled to the side by a thread of skin. Leah made one final cut. The head fell to the ground. The chicken’s beady eyes gazed up at Leah lifelessly as she rose to her feet. She held up the still quivering body up for Hela to evaluate. The goddess’ eyebrows furrowed, she made a clicking sound with her tongue, and her hand shot up to dismiss Leah again.

“Cook it.”

Leah had disappointed her again. With a bow of her head, Leah’s foot slid into a turn, and she silently walked off.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

Dinner with Hela was a drawn out affair. Leah was to be attentive and only given permission to speak when prompted. She was to eat no more than the portion on her plate, and was only allowed to leave when Hela said so. With each dinner, Leah started to notice a pattern to Hela’s conversations. On the rare occasion that Hela was in a good mood, she dwelled upon Asgard’s golden days. She recounted the conquests she and Odin won, every battle, spoil of war, in a tone that was filled with a longing and excitement that made Leah sit at the edge of her seat. Hela’s reminiscence led over to benevolence. Leah was able to take another portion of food to eat. Most of the time, Hela briefly discussed her current plans for conquest before finishing her meal in silence. The nights where fury burned in Hela’s eyes were the dinners that Leah dreaded. No topic escaped Hela’s scathing tirade. Odin was a coward. His bastard son had no right to the throne. The girl sitting across from her was stupid. She was incompetent. She was useless. Hela should just take her hand back so it could be put to better use. Her words made Leah cower in her seat. She struggled to hold back tears as Hela’s voice warped into a shrill shriek. Hela’s gauntlet dented the table. Plates and goblets crashed to the floor. Then Hela would storm off with a shout, leaving Leah to clean up the mess she made. 

Tonight Leah could not tell if Hela would be merciful enough to give her another serving. Leah had cut her quarter portion of chicken breast into small pieces so it could last throughout the meal. Each bite was savored. She chewed slowly to let the meat’s juicy flavor linger on her tongue and waited before reaching for the next piece with her fork. The slice of bread that was used to sop up the extra juice had been crumpled up into tiny morsels. Leah’s goblet of water would remain untouched until her meal was finished so she could wash her meal down. Only two chunks of chicken and a crumb of bread remained on her plate.

Leah decided to take that chance. She glanced over at Hela, who was busy cutting into the rest of the chicken breast that sat next to two drumsticks and the hunk of bread on her plate. As Hela went to pick up her goblet of wine, Leah apprehensively opened her mouth to speak.

“Milady, may I please have some more food?”

Hela glared over at her from the rim of her goblet. 

“I gave you your portion.” 

Silence again. Hela’s deathly stare made Leah flinch. Guilt bubbled and sunk down to the pit of her stomach as she turned back to her plate. She picked up one of the pieces with her fork. Just as she brought it up to her mouth, the chicken turned to ash. Leah’s fork clattered onto the plate. She jumped back with a gasp. The ashes scattered with a black light, infecting the rest of the food and breaking them down to dust. In a panic, Leah reached out to grab the ashes. They slid through her hands and dissolved upon touching the air. Leah’s hands shook. She took a shaky breath before bowing her head down.

“Mistress forgive me, I should not have spoken out of turn. I am satisfied with my meal.”

It was then that Hela took her gaze off of her handmaiden. She took a sip of wine before addressing the girl again:

“As you should be. _Leave.”_

Leah quickly got up and pushed her chair in. She curtseyed and turned to exit the hall, still feeling the pangs of hunger in her stomach.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

Leah’s boots crunched over the newly fallen snow. Her arms jutted in close to her sides as the wind blew against her. She shivered and then grimaced. The battle outfit Hela had fashioned for her was woven close to the skin. The girl was only used to her flowing sleeves of her dress found it hard to move without feeling discomfort. 

The elaborate antlers that curved from the sides Hela’s helmet stuck out against the fog. Leah walked over to the far end of the field and stopped in front of Hela. She stood as straight as she could with a slight bow of her head. Hela approached and circled around Leah for a quick inspection. Leah’s teeth chattered. The wind nipped at her cheeks yet she didn’t flinch. Hela’s hands, both flesh and steel moved towards Leah’s arm and held it up. Leah watched, noticing clearly for the first time how their uniforms contrasted each other. Green stripes popped out against the black fabric of Hela’s uniform. Leah’s bought out the green and lined it with black. Then Hela stepped back to address Leah.

“What makes a mighty warrior is not fury, courage, nor even brute strength. It is the _weapon_ he wields that ensures his victory. To succeed as my hand in battle, you must be able to summon one. Now watch carefully girl.”

Hela held out her sword hand in front of her. Her fingers curled in and out to lay flat. Black, smoke like energy rose from the palm of her hand and materialized into a dagger. She caught the hilt in her grasp, brandished it, and then let go. The dagger disappeared into thin air. 

“I am confident that you can do the same. Hold out your sword hand.”

Leah did so. 

“Palm out and focus.”

Magical energy stirred deep within the girl. She curled her hand to direct the energy into her arm. The current surged through, sparking little flashes of green from her fingertips.

“Envision your energy as a dagger.” 

Leah’s arm stiffened with a twitch of her fingers. Triangular shaped energy pulsed through her palm. The tip of a blade pushed through the center of her hand. Leah jumped back with a shout. She scrambled to grab the dagger just in time and held it up for Hela to see. She gave no indication on Leah’s performance but instead gestured with a point of her finger:

“The other hand.”

Leah found that the second dagger was easier to conjure. No sooner than she had conjured it, Leah was ordered to summon another dagger. And another. And another, until the pile of discarded daggers rose up to her knees. Her arms were sore. Hands were lined with scrapes and cuts that stung. The energy that poured out from her palms came as thin strands that vanished upon making contact with the air. Leah struggled to maintain her balance, fearing that she would fall onto the daggers. 

“You have practiced enough,” Hela said. 

The daggers disappeared in an instant with a wave of her hand. Leah gazed about her then up as she went to ask:

“My Lady, have I done a good job?”

Hela was gone. Leah peered through the fog then back down at the dagger in her hand. She closed her eyes and willed it to disappear as well.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

Snow still clung to the back of Leah’s hood and the skirts of her dress were damp even though the hall’s sturdy walls and fire kept the heat inside. She quickly made her way over to the throne where Hela sat. With a bow of her head, her foot slid out into a curtsey that brought her down to the floor.

“Rise child,” Hela’s cold voice intoned.

Leah rose to her feet. She lowered the hood of her cloak, but kept her head down.

“What news do you bring me?”

“You have a competitor My Lady,” Leah answered.

“A competitor?”

Leah lifted her head up. With a shiver, she stood as straight as she could and said loud and clear:

“They call him Thanos, The Mad Titan. Conqueror of the universe.”


	4. Chapter 4

Florescent lights lit up the hallway floor. Leah glanced about, double- checking to make sure she wasn’t being followed before starting out into a brisk walk. Her footsteps echoed and clanged against the metal walls that ran parallel beside her. She tensed and cupped her ears with a bow of her head. There was something about the ship that seemed to amplify sensations to an unbearable degree. The background hum of the engine grated painfully in her ear. The dazzling lights made her see stars. The walls appeared to close in on her with each step, and her skin crawled upon contact with the air’s thick heat. Leah lowered her hands back to her sides. A swish of her skirts and she gingerly continued on. The instructions Her Mistress gave her ran through her mind:

_Find the control room. Break into the main system. Send the plans to me._

According to Hela’s speculation, this system used a combination of both ancient magic and modern code. Having been imprisoned for nearly a millennia, Hela was not familiar with computer based technology. Before Leah had been created, she had relied on her Executioner Skurge to shut down the nuisance that was the royal palace’s built in security system. And though he had boasted of his strength and knowledge of modern day Asgard, the system refused to bend to his will and self -destruct. The system with its built in weapons that attacked at random, plagued both Hela and Skurge until Asgard fell for good. 

If Hela had little knowledge of such machinery, Leah had less so. She knew of their existence and appearance, but that was all. 

She suspected that the control room was close by. All she had to do was the bypass the next set of doors at the end of the hall and—

The hallway’s temperature quickly dropped. Mist poured from the vents on the ceiling and rapidly spread. Leah’s arms crossed her chest and shivered. Before her eyes, the mist that brushed against the walls glistened and froze. A layer of ice crystalized on the floor and surged underneath her feet. Leah slipped. She ground her feet and clutched her skirts. She glanced up and exclaimed:

“Who’s there?”

The mist parted and the ice thawed. Leah sharply breathed in as a tall, humanoid figure moved forth. A puff of warm air blew from her lips and evaporated into the air. Her eyes widened in shock. 

The man who stood in front of her bore a striking resemblance to her Mistress. He was as tall as her. The waves that hair that fell to his shoulders was colored jet black like hers. The contours of his face were angular and sharp. The iciness that never melted in Hela’s pale blue eyes shone in his’. For a second, Leah almost believed that Hela had disguised herself a man to join her, but she was clever. She straightened her stance and slid back.

“What do you want?” She asked in an accusatory tone.

The man laughed. He raised his hand and gestured out to her.

“I was about to ask the same of you. What is a child like you doing in a place like this? You don’t look like any of Thanos’ spawn that I know of, and I doubt that any of his children would have skin as white as _bone_ and stand so demurely like you do in front of me. So it leads me to wonder…who sent you?”

Leah’s right hand clenched into a fist and swung back.

“It is none of your business!” She spat. 

The man opened his mouth to speak but stopped. His eyes gleamed with curiosity. He tilted his head and peered at her. His lips jutted out before forming his next thought:

“You look familiar. I swear I saw a girl like you in a memory, bloody and bruised but I think it impossible.”

He stepped forward. Leah flexed her hand to summon a dagger.

“You think you can trick me?”

“ _Trick_ you? Are we playing games here?” The man questioned.

Leah’s hand frantically curled in and out. The energy that would have pulsed through her fingertips did not spark and materialize into steel. Panic raced through her. The man moved in close, so close that he was about a foot away from her.

“You’re trying to summon a weapon aren’t you?”

“What I do is _none_ of your business!” Fear seeped in her tone.

The man laughed again. He placed his hands on his hips and condescendingly looked down at her:

“Look at yourself, saying the same things over and over again like some kind of wind up doll. Little girl, where did you get the idea that you could just waltz in here and attack Thanos? This isn’t a game of pretend. Why don’t you go back to your toys?”

Leah brought her knee up as high as she could and aimed it at his groin. He keeled over in pain. His cries echoed off of the walls as she ran towards the end of the hall. Once she reached the door, she held her hand up. A burst of green light shot through her palm and filtered through. There came a click and the doors parted just enough so Leah could make her escape.

___________________________________ 

The control room was a force of its own. There were machines everywhere. Dim flashes of red, blue, and yellow danced upon the walls. Harsh screeches followed each blinking light, growing louder and louder in Leah’s mind. Combination of noise and flash made Leah want to cower yet she knew that her task was at hand. She hurried over to the first computer she saw. She studied the machine: its green colored screen that remained static, the keyboard underneath with its letters and numbers. Curious, she gingerly held her pointer finger out to touch one of the keys. 

The screen flickered. Leah jumped back, ready for an attack. Instead a white colored rectangle formed with a blank space next to the word:

_Password_

She had no time for guessing games. It was easier to force the computer to bend to her will. So Leah gently pressed her hand against the screen and whispered:

“Open.”

The screen changed again. More rectangles appeared, beige in color this time, popping up one by one in a neat row. All of them were labeled and Leah leaned in to get a closer look.

“Maintenance, security, file log…what is a file? And why would it be on firewood?” She wondered out loud. 

A green light glowed from her hand. She sent the energy at the computer. 

“Show me your secrets.”

The screen did not display any information. Leah tried again, this time applying more pressure.

“Show me your secrets.”

The machine did not obey her command. Leah glanced down at the keys and moved a finger onto the letter _S._ She pressed down. There came a ping. Another curious look washed over her as she clicked on the key again and then moved her finger to the letter _H_ She spoke each word as she typed it out. 

“Show-me-your- secrets.”

Nothing. Leah slid back with a frustrated shout. Her hands balled into fists, then pushed out. They shook in the air as if to throttle the computer, its creator, and anyone else who had an understanding of such complicated technology.

“Damned machine!” She cried out. 

With a grunt, Leah’s palm thrust forward and hit the screen as hard as she could. 

A clicking sound came. Leah removed her hand to see that the rectangle labeled _maintenance_ had enlarged to reveal even more rectangles. Leah squinted at the screen. A combination of initials and numbers were shown next to each rectangle. It strangely enough seemed familiar. She then thought back to her hours of study, pouring over old, dusty books that had not been touched in a millennia.

“These are dates,” she realized.

Leah’s hand moved to the screen again. She pressed her finger against the first rectangle in the left hand corner. Text appeared in big green letters:

_13/7900/Titan. Speed 10500 SJ. Dis: 7000. Fuel3/4X._

Leah’s eyes furrowed.

“What is this nonsense?”

Her hand shot back to the screen. Energy flowed from her fingertips.

“Tell me what this means!” 

The machine only answered with a robotic whine. Knuckles collided with screen. Leah flinched back, feeling the pain sizzle on the top of her hand.

A siren sounded. The doors opened in time to the flashing red lights on the ceiling. A troop of armed guards rushed inside. They got into formation and pointed their guns at Leah.

“You! Hands up!”

With a sharp inhale, Leah backed up against the machine. Her hands shook as she raised them. Her lip trembled and a frightened expression washed over her. 

“I—I’m looking for my mother,” vulnerability seeped into Leah’s tone.

The glint on the guards’ visors obscured their expressions. Their stance did not change. Leah blinked. A glassiness swirled in her eyes and her face contorted. A cry escaped her lips.

The guards shifted uneasily in their spots. Some exchanged conflicted glances. One even lowered his weapon. 

“What are you doing?” The senior commander barked at the guard. 

“It’s just a kid sir. It looks like she’s lost.”

“She’s an _intruder!_ ”

Green energy flickered in Leah’s vision. She let out one last dry sob before holding her hand out to the guards.

“Can you help me find my mother? I don’t know where she is. I’m _scared!_ ” She pleaded. 

Another guard put his weapon on the ground. He got into a crouching position and removed his helmet.

“Jact—“ The commander started. 

The guard ignored his commander. He gazed up at Leah and held out his hand in return.

“Don’t worry kiddo we’re gonna find your mom. Come here.”

Leah slid to the computer’s side with a swish of her skirts. She tentatively gazed back at the guards and hid.

“Come here there’s nothing to be afraid of. We’re not gonna hurt you,” the guard said in a soothing tone.

Leah brushed her hand against her eyes. She peeked out and placed her hands behind her back. She stepped forward.

“That’s it, that’s it! Come over here,” the guard encouraged her. 

Leah walked over, with her hands still behind her back. She pressed her fingertips together. Her right hand shook and curled into an open fist. She stopped right in front of the guard and tilted her head to the side with a curious gaze.

“What’s your name?” The guard asked. 

“My name?” 

Her hand shook again and curled in. 

“Yeah, what’s your name kiddo? Mine’s Jact.”

Leah glanced at him again. She brought out her left arm and placed her hand in his’. She smiled at him.

“My name is---“

She _yanked_ him towards her. Her right hand shot out and raised the dagger high before plunging it into the guard’s chest. 

The guard’s eyes bulged and he let out a rattling gasp as Leah slowly pulled the dagger out with a sickening squish. Blood splattered on her dress and chin as he collapsed to the ground.

“Only known to me,” she finished before brandishing her dagger out.

**“Get her!”**

Leah ducked. Two guards collided with each other. She crawled to the door, nicking at the guards’ legs and boots before jumping up to her feet and bolting out.  


**“GET HER!”**

A round of laserfire came as the guards advanced. Leah dodged the jets of white light, deflecting the sparks that came too close with the side of her dagger. She skidded back and turned. A burnt odor rose from the ends of her singed hair. Her ears were ringing from the mechanical _ping ping ping._ of the guns. Blood trickled from the gash on her cheek. She winced as she felt the air press against it. The burst of energy that had carried her out sizzle and fade. Everything lagged around her. Her foot slid out, caught on the ends of her dress and she fell.

Deafening shouts rang. Hands grabbed her, forcing her into restraints. Leah struggled. Her feet aimlessly kicked about. Hands turned red against the grip of the metal band locked around her wrists. She spat out droplets of blood as she screamed:

**“Unhand me! Unhand me!”**

A guard jabbed her with another metal object. Leah convulsed with a shriek as a sharp, electrifying pain overcame her. She became unnaturally still. 

“ _This_ is our intruder?” Came a deep voice that boomed around Leah.

_Crash_

A towering giant stood at the end of the hall. The guards scurried to form a pathway for him to cross. As he approached, fear raced through Leah. This giant, clad in an armor of gold, his purplish skin scarred by the ravages of war, and a fury that burned in his eyes made her think of tales of the Jotuns of old. She whimpered and shut her eyes as Thanos came to a stop, crouched down, and _sneered_ at her.

“Who sent you here _little girl?_ ”

Leah forced her eyes open. Her insides twisted. Her body tensed.

“Oh? After all the damage you’ve caused, I thought you’d fight back. What’s the matter little girl, are you scared that you got caught?” He mocked her.

The guards laughed. Thanos chuckled himself before he leaned in again with another sneer.

“We can do this the easy way or the hard way. _Talk._ ”

Leah’s hands jutted up. Her wrists jostled against the handcuffs.

“There’s no use fighting back. I’ll kill you either way. Just _talk._ ”

The points of Leah’s knuckles scraped against her throat. She let out a faint hum.  


“Are you going to say something?”

Leah’s eyes flashed white. She gasped and tilted her head back. Black smoke rose from her mouth. 

The guard restraining Leah dropped her with a yelp. Thanos and the rest of the guards jumped back as the smoke filtered through the hall. The darker wisps of smoke bound together and materialized into a humanoid, female, figure. The shadowy apparition raised its hand. Leah gasped again, her eyes rolled back into her head, and the tone and words that came forth from her mouth were not her own.

“Thanos,” said Hela. “I see that you have become acquainted with my handmaiden, but I do believe I have not properly introduced myself. I am Hela, the rightful queen of Asgard and I come with a proposition.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And of course how could I not introduce Loki in this chapter without referencing this [glorious moment from the comics](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/cmx-images-prod/Item/23505/Previews/60bbfbf2c8f19882264d5bd95bf97365._SX1280_QL80_TTD_.jpg)


End file.
